Makerere University is to refund Shs 351 million of the Shs 526 million collected from students for their identity cards under the Computerized Education Management and Accounting System (CEMAS).
The deputy vice chancellor in charge of administration, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe says the decision was reached after the university failed to produce the student identity cards in time and threats of a looming students strike.
The move was aimed at streamlining university the academic, financial and human resource records in public universities through an integrated management information system. The students were expected to receive digitalized identity cards under the new system.
“CEMAS developed some challenges and has been suspended till further notice,” reads a statement from Prof Nawangwe.
Adding that; “Management has decided that IDs for the first year students be issued under the previous arrangement. Management is doing everything possible to expedite procurement of the IDs so that they can be issued before the start of semester II examinations.”
Guild President made similar suggestion
Newly sworn in Guild President, Kato Paul had earlier revealed his plans to direct the refund of students’ money who had earlier paid for these expensive IDs. “ I have tasked the management to process the withdrawal of this ugly system and not only get back to the previous system but also refund an extra money that each student paid on an ID (30,000 shillings)”. Kato revealed last week.
According to Kato, the computerized education management and accountancy system did not only raise the cost of producing their “Valued identity cards” but also has contributed to the current turbulence and delay of issuance of these IDs to freshers.
The students paid 45,000 shillings from shs15000 they were earlier paying for digitalized IDs.
However, Kato had earlier revealed that this system exploits students as he highlighted that a total of 11,701 freshers have never received their identity cards up to now.
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